I can't leave, so I wait in the teddybear chair
alternating between wine and cake
to boost my flagging energy. I'm too knackered to write
after teaching 120 fifth graders the origins of poetry.
I have a headache and coffee grounds between my teeth.
The cupboard is bare so I toss some chocolate chips
ground coffee, butter, an egg & Bisquick into a mug
and zap the mess a minute in the microwave.
I'm elated over my hockeypuck of a cake.
It delivers a payload of chocolate chips and coffee
but until the words come, the cats are properly cuddled
I can't go home. The cats are aloof. Playing hard to get.
The greedy turtles are watching my every move.
Maybe they should be writing the poem.
A mourning dove calls, lonesome in the palm tree.
Sirens in the distance wail like a pack of urban coyotes.
Somewhere, a truck is backing up. Anemically beeping.
Or a mockingbird is practicing his monotone notes.
A neighbor cranks up rap music. I hate listening
to someone else's loud car music—like second-hand smoke.
The cat hangs himself on the screen door for the third time.
I rummage through drawers to find scissors.
Kitty's first toenail trim. He's having none of it,
and turns into a wild animal fighting for his life.
I'm patient, I hold him close, and pet him.
Snip. Growl. He has a wide vocalic palette of sound.
He seems pleased now that he doesn't snag the rug when he walks.
The apartment pool reflects a patch of sky on the ceiling.
I'm desperate for blue-eyed sleep,
I've never been one to nap. Not like the cats.
I distract myself with Twitter, a friend just got back
from taping a segment on the Tonite Show,
bagpipe jokes abound. But it's not yet tonight.
Until then, à bientôt. Until this is not a poem.
I will sit and wait.
4/7/10
4/7/10
take the phrase "Until (blank)," replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and write the poem. Possibilities include: "Until we meet again," "Until tomorrow," "Until monkeys fly out my butt," or even "Until blank" (why not?). Until we meet again, have a great Wednesday!
